Belgian Flag Tetra

About

The Belgian flag tetra (Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus) is a small characin from the lower Amazon River basin in South America, where it inhabits soft, often darkly stained waters. The common name is well earned: the body carries a horizontal arrangement of red above a golden-yellow band, with a dark lateral stripe running from a humeral spot to the caudal peduncle, loosely echoing the colors of the Belgian flag. The upper half of the eye is red, adding a detail that helps separate this species from several very similar-looking relatives that were historically lumped under the same name. Taxonomically it has a complicated history, with fish from Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas once misidentified as this species and later described as distinct taxa. In the aquarium, this is a gentle, schooling fish that really should be kept in groups of eight or more. Kept singly or in small numbers, individuals tend to fare poorly. It does best in a well-planted community alongside other small, peaceful characins and similarly sized catfish. An omnivore in the wild, it readily accepts a variety of prepared and live foods. Breeding is possible at home using a dedicated spawning setup, though raising fry does take some patience and attention to detail, putting this species in the intermediate care category.